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1 Month Old Lost Interest In Breast

I was planning on exclusively breast feeding for at least 1 year with my newborn. Everything was going well with breastfeeding up until she was about 3.5 weeks old and she started becoming very fussy and impatient at the breast. I will go to insert my nipple into her mouth and she will just kind of play around with it with her tongue and spit it out, then begin to cry and kick her feet in frustration.

I thought it was my milk supply, because it did seem to slow down a bit, so I really had no choice but to start supplementing her with formula, because I wasn't able to pump.

I have a manual Medela Symphony, and I'm not having great results with it. I was doing fine with it for the first 2-3 weeks until my supply had dipped. I stopped using it and began hand expressing my milk just recently and am having decent results in doing so.

My baby is still not taking to the breast, even though I know my milk supply is great. I feel so terrible and guilty about giving her formula... I know breast milk is the best nutrition for her and has so many benefits, and I feel like I'm taking that away from her. I miss that bonding experience I was having with her, I loved nursing her. And now I feel like I'm being a bad mother because we're not able to successfully nurse. I'm becoming very upset and depressed over it.

I'm seeing my lactation consultant this week and hoping she can help, but everything she's suggested over the phone I have tried and it is not working. if anyone's gone through this same thing or something similar I would love to hear from you to know I am not alone, and especially if you were able to correct the problem.

Re: 1 Month Old Lost Interest In Breast

you might try renting a hospital grade pump to boost your supply, but nursing is the best way to increase. when my DD was not nursing yet, I rented an ELECTRIC medela symphony and double pumped after every feed, putting her to breast then offering supplemental bottles of EBM with Human Fortifier (Neosure) added in. We only had to do this for about a week or so. you say you have a MANUAL symphony... are you referring to the manual pump that comes with the electric one... or maybe you have the medela harmony vs. symphony....?

Full time working mama to a precious
Due date was 05/02/2011 - born 04/04/2011 at 36 weeks exactly. and14 months and still going strong

Re: 1 Month Old Lost Interest In Breast

This sounds like nipple preference. It can be beaten. Perhaps start with a nipple shield, just to get her back to the breast, and go from there.

You need a better pump. Period. If you have a manual, you do not have a Symphony. That is a hospital grade pump. I'm hooked to one right now. I would suggest renting a pump while you get baby back to the breast and make that your goal.

Fussy and impatient is usually due to :
1. Overactive letdown, flooding baby or
2. Slow letdown, making baby upset.

The spitting it out is because it doesn't feel right, which is why I suggest the nipple shield.

The LC should be an IBCLC, and hands-on is always best!

There have been many moms overcome problems and go on to nurse for years -- I was one of them -- so you can too!

Re: 1 Month Old Lost Interest In Breast

It is very important to get baby back on the breast to keep your supply up without dealing with annoying pumps. Like Susan said, a nipple shield can work for you! I have the medela contact silcone shield and it works really good. The silicone covers your nipple and feels more like a bottle nipple that the baby might already prefer. You can work on getting the baby off the nipple shield later but right now it could save your nursing relationship! It did for me. I was pumping then giving baby what I pumped in a bottle. Eventually that ran down my supply and it only went back up once DS started nursing directly from me and the nipple shield.

To boost your supply, try drinking mothers milk tea and eating oatmeal raisin cookies I just loooove oatmeal raisin cookies The oats help stimulate supply. Also like the pp's said- get a good pump that pumps both sides at the same time and is electric. The medela pump-in-style advanced and the medela freestyle is good. Also renting the medela symphony from the hospital is very good. Pump after every feeding and slowly but surely you will start seeing results!

Last edited by @llli*zorkycharlemagne; October 15th, 2011 at 11:09 AM.

Re: 1 Month Old Lost Interest In Breast

Great advice already. I also wanted to warn that supplementing with formula will harm your supply. Remember breastfeeding is supply and demand. If your baby is getting supply elsewhere and your body has no demand then it will produce less.